Snapped
by NightshadeOfDeath
Summary: Nobody expected him to snap, not even Glass Joe himself.
1. Chapter 1

Frozen in place he saw three bodies laying unconcious on the cold alleyway, bloodied and bruised. He had done that to them. He didn't mean it though; the rage and frustration that he had build up within him made him attack the three males that were mocking him. Sure, he was a mediocre boxer, but he was still stronger and more agile than the average person, a detail many brushed off. And so, he stood there, shocked at his own actions. When he finally snapped to reality, he shakingly pulled his phone from his back-pocket and called an ambulance anonymusly . He then realized something; he was covered in their blood and his knuckles were bruised. Picking up his duffel bag, he ran to his aparment, making sure to take the less populated of routes to get there so no one would notice the state he was in.

Hyperventilating, he entered through the back door which led to a long flight of stairs. As quickly as he could, he reached the third floor and checked the hall. When he saw none, he hurried to open the door of his home. As soon as he locked the door behind him, he slid down to the floor. Millions of thoughts plagued his mind, making feel sick to his stomach. He broke the most important rule that all athletes follow by heart: "Do not use your physical strenght to harm others in a day-to-day basis." Yet there he was, hiding from his crime as guilt slowly consumed him.

Regaining the movement of his limbs, he stood up, heading directly to the bathroom. He turned on the faucet on his bathtub, pondering on what he should do next. He couldn't ran away forever, that was certain. Yet, only one solution came to mind; quitting. Quitting his passion for boxing and his liberty, it was the price he needed to pay for his felony. He stopped the flow of the water at the right volume and stripped down. He submerged himself in the warm water, sighing outloud as he felt all of his tense, strained muscles relaxing. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his cellphone, sticking out of the back-pocket of his pants. The red head figured that it wouldn't hurt call someone to confess his misdeeds to them. And he knew exactly who to call as he picked up the device and marked the numbers on the screen. It rang for awhile until a familiar voice answered.

" _Hallo?_ "

" _Bonjour, Monsieur Kaiser..._ "

"Ah, _Herr_ Joe. It's rather late for a call."

"I know, but I wanted to tell you something important..."

"Alright, what is it?"

"It wasn't an easy decision. You'll be the only person to know first hand about this choice I'm making, since you're more than a working companion to me. I have always respected your determination, even when you went through a traumatic phase and you have always treated me like you're equal, not like the patethic boxer that I turned out to be. _Vous êtes un véritable ami._ "

"Geoffroi, what are you trying to say?..."

"I'm quitting boxing."

" _WAS?! Weshalb?!_ "

"You're probably asking me why, but I'm afraid I can't tell you right away. I feel ashamed of myself and I don't deserve to represent my nation any longer. Tomorrow morning I'm going to the Association tomorrow to formally retire. _Bonne nuit, Viktor._

"Wait! Don't you dare hang up on/"

It was too late, he had already made up his mind. Turning off the phone, he continued to clean himself up. There would be no point in sleeping, nor eating; his body would just refuse them. He just needed to wait until sunrise.


	2. Chapter 2

It was bothering him more than it should. It's no secret that boxers mostly retire at the age of 30 or 40, but the tone in which Glass Joe spoke to him was something to worry about. It was the first time that Kaiser heard him sound so defeated and, to a certain point, guilty. The thing the concerned him the most was not knowing the reason for his sudden retirement. The German was well aware of the red-head's passion for boxing; he was a seasoned athlete with more than a hundred matches and twenty years of experience, it just didn't make sense for him to quit without a valid reason. And he, Viktor von Kaiser, was determined to find out why his _freund_ made such rash decision.

It was early in the morning, the light spring breeze caressed his face as he stood in front of the aparment complex Joe lived in. Just as he was about to enter, his phone rang. It was strange since he didn't receive calls often, much less in the morning.

" _Hallo, Von Kaiser spreche._ "

" _Moshi_ _moshi, Kaiser-sama._ I am sorry to call so early, but _Bosu-sama_ wants everyone to attend an emergency meeting at the Association's gym."

The German stayed quiet for awhile as he rapidly walked back to his car. Deep down he knew what the reunion was going to be about, yet he hoped it wasn't too late.

" _Danke, Hondo._ Any idea what's going on?"

"I'm afraid not. _Bosu_ refuses to tell us until everyone is present. By the looks of it, it must be a very important matter.."

"Hm.. Is Glass Joe there?.."

" _Īe._ The only ones that have yet to arrive are Lil' Mac, Aran Ryan, Glass Joe and yourself. Is something wrong? You sound distressed."

" _Ja..._ I'll tell you when I get there, but right now I need to drive."

"Alright, see you soon."

"Likewise."

Moments later, Viktor found himself walking in a fast pace towards the meeting room. As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by the CEO of the W. V. B. A., Douglas Gerbasi. He was quite a stubby man with italian heritage coursing through his veins, yet he was highly respected in the bussiness of boxing. He was usually a chirpier man, but at that moment he looked rather gloom.

"Glad ya can make it Vic. Let me tell ya somethin'. This mornin' has been hell for me. Almost had a heartattack with the news I received."

"I don't mean to pry.. But this is about Joe, _ja_?..."

"How did ya find out?.."

"He called me late last night. Didn't sound like himself. He hanged up im middle of the conversation and I haven't been able to reach him since.."

"Ay... I hope that whatever is happening to him isn't as serious as we paint it to be.."

"I really hope so t/"

At that very instance, the hyper Irish boxer burst trough the door, wide it. Behind him was Lil' Mac and Doc, staring at him in confusion a long with everyone else that was in the room.

"EVERYONE SHUT YER TRAPS AND PUT ON THE NEWS!"


	3. Chapter 3

" **The French** **boxer** **Geoffroi "Glass Joe" Rosseau has turned himself in to the authorities, claiming that he was the mystery assailant from last night. He explained the crime in explicit detail and even going as far as bringing incriminating evidence to the police station. More information at noon. Now for the weather report with Josh Parker.** "

The room was silent; nobody could believe what they just heard. It wasn't possible. He was the kindest of them all, he just wouldn't go around punching people. But there he was, turning himself in to the police. Every boxer that was in that room had fought Geoffroi at some point; the French was like a willing bridge to their eventual sucess. Hell, Richard "Super Macho Man" Nelson was just a C-rated actor and body builder until he met Glass Joe. He remembered how everything played out, how he was inspired to do better and be known by everyone. It was also the first time anyone in the industry had seen him angry.

 _"Non, I will not fight you."_

 _"Come on, it's a win-win situation; you'll fall after the first punch, I'll get famous for my skills while you earn extra cash from the side."_

 _"Do you really think I will stoop so low just to earn some extra money? I am not interested."_

 _"Okay, I'll double the price. No, triple it! You're literally the worst fighter here, you've clearly have done this before, so stop trying to pull my leg."_

 _"How dare you accuse me of such a thing! Besides, by the looks of it, even with all your muscles and strenght, you're a mediocre boxer without even starting."_

 _"Watch your words buddy! I could easily beat you to a pulp!"_

 _"Then why do you need to pay me to lose, hm?"_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"If you are so confident in winning against me, then why pay me to lose? Are you afraid you won't make a good impression with the media, or do you think you're not capable of beating me? What ever your reason, boxing is about_ passion et de fierté! _I don't see any of that in your persona. You're just a_ façade, _an empty shell. But, I see potential in you. I want you to come back and challenge me when you decide what you really want to do with your life."_

Truely, a man of reasoning and wise words. Which made the current situation completely and utterly unbelievable. A heavy sigh broke the silence in the room; Mr. Gerbasi was clearly enraged, his hands grasps tightly the papers he held. Things were about to get serious.


	4. Chapter 4

Frankly, he was scared of the reaction his friends would have after seeing what he had done. Although it probably didn't matter; they would just move on without him, forgetting he was part of their lifes at some point. Sighing, the French man twiddled his thumbs in his cell. He had overheard the guards talking about his future trial. He already knew the outcome, yet he wasn't jittery or tense about going to prison. Geoffroi just closed his eyes and accepted his fated.

"Oi, Joe," said a policeman as he opened his cell door, obnoxiously chewing a piece of gum. "Ya got visitors and one of them does not look happy. In fact, I think his about to have an aneurysm or something."

Glass Joe stood up, clearly confused. He wasn't expecting visitors, so it peeked his curiosity. "Who they might be?.."

"Oh ya know, those boxers and a very angry midget. Quite a strange bunch, that's fo' sure," the guard said while escorting the Frenchman.

At this, the red-headed man paled. He now knew of the people that he was going to face. Looks of dissapointment and rage flooded his mind, making him shiver in discomfort. Glass Joe was brought up to a room with a glass window, a chair and a window. It reminded him of the video game Lil' Mac always played on his free time. It was about an attorney trying to find the truth behind a crime. Ace Lawyer was the title of the game; or something a long those lines, he couldn't recall well. The informal policeman made him sit down while on the other side of the glass they brought in the three people he did not want to see at that moment: Douglas Gerbasi, Gabby Jay and Von Kaiser.

" _Maledizione Joe!_ What the hell happened?!" said Gerbasi.

"I... I really don't know what got into me. But I need to pay for my crime."

"Nonsense! I bet you were only defending yourself," replied the older Frenchman.

Rosseau didn't answer, he just lowered his head in shame. Then there was a sigh and the German spoke.

"Look, we just want to know what went down yesterday. Start from the beginning and don't leave any details out, _verstanden_?"

" _Oui._ We just want to help you Geoffroi," said Gabby Jay.

"You're the most humble and friendly of all the fighters that has gone through the W. V. B. A. We don't want you going down this road... So please, cooperate with us."

Taking a deep breath, the red-head looked up at them. He wasn't going to hide the truth from them any longer.

" _Trés bien, je vais vous parler._ "


	5. Chapter 5

_It was late at night, very few people were walking around at that hour. Joe was carrying his light duffel bag as he looked around. It was becoming difficult for him to keep up with other boxers; everyone seems to be advancing while he was stuck in the same rank, being constantly mocked by the public. He tried to ignore it, but each time it seemed to get worse. He didn't have someone to relate or to talk to about this problem. Sure there was Gabby Jay, Kaiser, Gerbasi and many more, but he didn't want to bother them. Maybe he was the problem, with his passive nature. He wanted to be more assertive, but he just couldn't muster up the courage to do so._

 _While he was lost in his thoughts, he felt someone dragged him into an alleyway, pushing him to the ground. Startled, he looked up at his attacker only to find there were two more with him. He slowly got up, tensed and scared of what would happen to him. And that's when they began to speak._

 _"Well if it isn't Glass Fucking Joe!" said one of the assilants in a smug tone, "The biggest dissapointment to walk into a ring!"_

 _"How does it feel for a kid to win against ya?"_

 _"Why do you even entered boxing? You're just approving the stereotype that all French people are pathetic losers."_

 _"Aren't ya ashamed of yourself?"_

 _Insults after insults, he tried to contain all those years of frustration and anger as they shoved him against the wall. He felt humiliated as they injured his pride, denigrate the sport he deeply cared about and, worst of all, offended France and it's people, something Rosseau loved more than anything else._

 _He wouldn't take it anymore. All he saw was a blur and their screams fell to deaf ears. He had finally snapped after all those years._

"Joe..." said the Frenchman with wide eyes.

"Why didn't you say anything before, _verdamnt_?!" asked Viktor in a very outraged manner.

"Like I said before, I didn't want to bother anyone.."

"Oi, time's up buddy! Visiting hours are over!" stated the rude policeman from before.

"Don't worry Geoffroi, will get ya out in no time.." said Mr. Gerbasi in a worried tone as he watched how they took the boxer away.


End file.
